Triggering and conducting an automated survey

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for initiating and conducting an automated survey are disclosed herein. According to some implementations, a computer-readable medium may be encoded with computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions includes logic adapted to receive a notification of the occurrence of a trigger event associated with a service performed for a customer. The computer-executable instructions further include logic adapted, in response to receiving the notification, to initiate an automated survey to be offered to a survey recipient. Additional logic is adapted to conduct the automated survey. The instructions also include logic adapted to receive survey result information from the survey recipient in response to the automated survey.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/722,455, filed Mar. 11, 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/266,599, filed Dec. 4, 2009, the entiredisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/722,463, filed Mar. 11, 2010, and titled, “Analyzing SurveyResults,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

This application is also related to co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/722,474, filed Mar. 11, 2010, and titled, “PerformingFollow-up Actions Based on Survey Results,” the entire disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to surveys, and moreparticularly relates to survey automation.

BACKGROUND

Businesses often use surveys to obtain feedback from customers. Thesurvey responses can help a business understand the customer's level ofsatisfaction. Also, a business can use data from surveys to trackpatterns and trends in customer service. In response, the business canmake changes as necessary in areas where improvements can be made.Businesses that can keep operations running smoothly and focused oncustomer satisfaction may typically have a better chance of long-termsuccess.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure describes various systems and methods forconducting an automated survey. According to some implementations, acomputer-readable medium may be encoded with computer-executableinstructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions include logicadapted to receive a notification of the occurrence of a trigger eventassociated with a service performed for a customer. Thecomputer-executable instructions may further include logic adapted, inresponse to receiving the notification, to initiate an automated surveyto be offered to a survey recipient. Additional logic is adapted toconduct the automated survey. The instructions also include logicadapted to receive survey result information from the survey recipientin response to the automated survey.

According to some implementations, a computer implemented method mayinclude receiving a notification of the occurrence of a trigger eventassociated with a service performed for a customer. In response toreceiving the notification, the method may include initiating anautomated survey to be offered to a survey recipient and conducting theautomated survey. Also, the method may include receiving survey resultinformation from the survey recipient in response to the automatedsurvey.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure may include an automatedsurvey system, which may comprise, for example, an interface deviceconfigured to receive a notification of the occurrence of a triggerevent associated with a service performed for a customer. The surveysystem may also comprise a processing device configured to initiate anautomated survey to be offered to a survey recipient in response toreceiving the notification. The processing device may be furtherconfigured to conduct the automated survey via the interface device andreceive survey result information from the survey recipient in responseto the automated survey.

Various implementations described in the present disclosure may includeadditional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which may notnecessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detaileddescription and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all suchsystems, methods, features, and advantages be included within thepresent disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and components of the following figures are illustrated toemphasize the general principles of the present disclosure.Corresponding features and components throughout the figures may bedesignated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistencyand clarity.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of generalbusiness interactions.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a second embodiment of generalbusiness interactions.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a service groupaccording to various implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a survey network system accordingto various implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the automatedsurvey system shown in FIG. 4, according to various implementations ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the surveyprogram shown in FIG. 5, according to various implementations of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of data segments storedin the database shown in FIG. 5, according to various implementations ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating general operations of a surveysystem according to various implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a survey methodaccording to various implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method forcreating a survey according to various embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a screen shot of a user interface for creating an automatedsurvey according to various implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a sample script for an automatedsurvey according to various implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for triggering andconducting a survey according to various implementations of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for conducting anautomated survey according to various implementations of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for handling surveyresult information according to various implementations of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for performing surveyfollow-up actions according to various implementations of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 17 is a screen shot of a user interface for enabling access tovoice messages according to various implementations of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 18A and 18B include combinable parts of a screen shot of a userinterface for enabling input of follow-up actions according to variousimplementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a screen shot of a user interface for enabling access tosurvey result information according to various implementations of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a screen shot of the user interface of FIG. 19 according tovarious implementations.

FIG. 21 is a screen shot of a user interface for searching and trackingsurvey responses according to various implementations of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 22A and 22B are screen shots of a service issue report accordingto various implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 23 is a screen shot of a quality report according to variousimplementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 24 is a screen shot of a survey result report according to variousimplementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 25 is a screen shot of a survey response report according tovarious implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 26 is a screen shot of a summary quality report according tovarious implementations of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for conductingsurveys in response to interactions between businesses and customers.Surveys may be created and utilized for obtaining feedback aboutproducts sold to customers and/or about services provided for thecustomers. Although various implementations of the present disclosureare described with respect to surveys conducted in response to aservice, the survey systems and methods herein may also be configured tobe conducted in response to products or other offerings by a company orbusiness. In addition, various implementations herein describe manyservices as being delivery services, but it should be understood thatthe present disclosure also may include other types of services withoutdeparting from the principles described herein. Other features andadvantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art uponconsideration of the general principles described herein, and all suchfeatures and advantages are intended to be included in the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a business interaction between a business10 and a customer 12. The business 10 may be any company, profit center,or other entity. The business 10 may be a physical store, on-line store,service company, or other entity. The customer 12 may be any individualwho is to receive a service or who orders or purchases a product. Insuch an interaction as illustrated in FIG. 1, the business 10 providesgoods and/or services directly to the customer 12. During thisinteraction, there are several opportunities for the business 10 todisplay customer service, including, for example, the customer 12interacting with a salesperson, sales clerk, or cashier, the customer 12receiving a service, such as a repair, maintenance, improvement, legalservice, delivery or other type of service, or other types ofinteractions. When a service is to be performed in this arrangement, thebusiness 10 employs internal servicers who provide the service directlyto the customer 12. Various examples of non-limiting services mayinclude a delivery of a purchased product, a plumbing service, taxreturn preparation, automobile repair, etc.

FIG. 2 shows another example of a general business interaction in whichthe customer 12 pays the business 10 for goods or services, the business10 provides a service group 14 with information for fulfilling theservice, and the service group 14 provides the service to the customer12 on behalf of the business 10. The service group 14 includes theservice professionals and other people involved in the business ofoffering one or more services, and is often a separate corporate entityfrom the business 10. For example, the service group 14 may beresponsible for delivering, building, assembling, installing,maintaining, repairing, improving, testing, demonstrating, removing,and/or other service actions. In the arrangement of FIG. 2, the business10 may be considered a client of the service group 14.

According to various implementations, the customer 12 may provide thebusiness 10 with personal information, such as name, address, phonenumbers, e-mail addresses, etc., which can be used for contacting thecustomer 12 to provide the intended services or for contacting thecustomer 12 as needed. Other ordering information may be exchanged orcreated, including special instructions for delivery, unpacking orassembly requests, and/or installation requests. Orders can usually betaken in any number of ways, including transactions in person, by phone,by mail, by e-mail, by the Internet, or by other ordering methods. Thebusiness 10 may provide some of this order information to the servicegroup 14 in order that the service group 14 can perform the serviceproperly. The order information can be provided by an automatic orderingsystem, by facsimile device, by e-mail, by phone, or in any othermanner. The service group 14 may pick up products, as necessary, fromthe business's store, warehouse, supplier, etc., and deliver theproducts to one or more customers 12. In some embodiments, the customer12 may schedule the service directly with the service group 14.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a service group 20,such as the service group 14 shown in FIG. 2. In this implementation,managed services 22 may represent a service company, which may beresponsible for the management of internal servicers 24, who areemployed by a client business, and service managers 26, who may beemployed by the managed services 22 company or may be independentcontract companies. In some cases, the managed services 22 may includeoperators who manage the services for a particular client. In otherimplementations, servicers 30 may be direct independent contractors tomanaged services 22. According to various implementations of the presentdisclosure, the managed services 22 may include an automated surveysystem, which automatically conducts surveys and analyzes the results ofthe survey. More details of the automated survey systems are describedbelow.

The service managers 26 may be field managers, regional managers, orlocal managers who manage one or more service providers 28, often in aparticular region and/or for a specific client. The service manager mayalso manage one or more internal servicers 24. The service providers 28manage a number of servicers 30, who may be employed by the serviceproviders 28 or may be independent contractors. The servicer 30 may bethe individual or team representing the service group 20 (or servicegroup 14 shown in FIG. 2) and who directly interacts with the customer12.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a survey network system 34according to various implementations of the present disclosure. Thesurvey network system 34 includes an automated survey system 36(described in more detail below), client systems 38, service groupsystems 40, and customer systems 42. These and other systems are capableof interacting and communicating via one or more communication networks44. The communication networks 44 may include telephone lines, such asland line or public switched telephone network (PSTN) systems, mobilephone channels and systems, communication channels for exchanging dataand information, such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network(WAN), the Internet, or other data, communication, or telecommunicationnetworks.

The client systems 38 may represent any business, such as the businessesdescribed with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the environment of thesurvey network system 34 of FIG. 4, the client systems 38 represent atleast a part of a business that is a client of the service group, whichutilizes the service group systems 40. The service group may beresponsible for performing one or more services on behalf of theclients. The service group may be the service group 20 described withrespect to FIG. 3 or other group of servicers, service providers,service managers, and/or managed services. In some embodiments, theautomated survey system 36 may be part of the client systems 38 or maybe part of the service group systems 40. As suggested in FIG. 1, theclient systems 38 and service group systems 40 may be part of onecompany or enterprise.

According to various embodiments of FIG. 4, the service group systems 40may include equipment used by the servicers and by field managers. Forexample, the service group systems 40 may include handheld devices(e.g., devices carried by the servicers), mobile phones, laptopcomputers, or other devices. When the servicer completes a service, theservicer may use any suitable device of the service group systems 40 tonotify the automated survey system 36 that the service has beencompleted. For example, the servicer may call into an integrated voiceresponse (IVR) device (or voice response unit (VRU)) of the automatedsurvey system 36 to input information about the service or completion ofthe service. Another example may include a telephone call, landline ormobile, to a support agent, who may be associated with the automatedsurvey system 36 and who can manually enter the service information intothe automated survey system 36. In some implementations, completion ofthe particular service may be communicated by some automated process,such as the automatic detection of a change in the servicer's locationusing, for example, a global positioning system (GPS) device.

After notification of service completion has been received, theautomated survey system 36 waits for a short amount of time (e.g., toallow the customer to reflect upon the service received). After aconfigurable short delay, e.g., about 10 minutes, the automated surveysystem 36 launches an automated survey. In some implementations, thesurvey is conducted over the telephone using an IVR system, which isconfigured to call the customer's home telephone number using contactinformation obtained during the order process. The survey may be sent tothe customer systems 42 using the PSTN or over other communicationnetworks, such as an e-mail system, chat session, text message system,etc. In some cases, the customer may delegate another individual tointeract with the servicers, such as if the customer wishes for aneighbor to handle the acceptance of the delivered items. In thesecases, the survey recipient may be the neighbor, who may be in a betterposition to rate the delivery service.

In some implementations, the automated survey system 36 may include aprocessing system adapted to conduct the survey when the service iscomplete. The automated survey system 36 is further configured toanalyze the results of the survey to determine if any follow-up actionswith the customer are needed. For example, if the customer isdissatisfied with the service received, the customer can leave responsesthat can be analyzed for follow-up. In some situations, the customer mayhave need of immediate resolution to which the service group or clientcan provide follow up. Feedback may be received in the form of keystrokes on a touch tone key pad of a telephone, voice messages left overthe telephone, and/or by other communication means.

Some follow-up actions may involve a service manager, field manager, orother representative of the service group. The automated survey system36 organizes the survey results in tables or charts to clearlycommunicate any issues that the customers may have. For example, if thecustomer indicates poor service, such as by providing low ratings on thesurvey or by explaining problems in a voice message, this informationcan be automatically or manually recorded and then provided directly tothe service manager or other responsible person or team of the servicegroup associated with the service group systems 40. In some cases,survey feedback can be directed to the client systems 38. In the casewhere follow-up actions may involve the client, the automated surveysystem 36 may send an automatic communication to the client systems 38in order that the client can view the survey result information using aweb-enabled browser via the Internet. Both the client and field managersof the service group can access survey result information and/or adigitized version of the voice message as needed to help resolve thecustomer's issues.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the automatedsurvey system 36 shown in FIG. 4, according to various implementationsof the present disclosure. As shown in this embodiment, the automatedsurvey system 36 includes a processing device 48 and a memory device 50,which includes at least an order management program 52, a survey program54, and a database 56. The automated survey system 36 further includesinput/output devices 58 and interface devices 60. The components of theautomated survey system 36 are interconnected and may communicate witheach other via a computer bus interface 62 or other suitablecommunication devices.

In some embodiments, each component of the automated survey system 36 asshown may include multiple components on multiple computer systems of anetwork. For example, the managed services 22 of the service group maycomprise servers, such as application servers, file servers, databaseservers, web servers, etc., for performing various functions describedherein. The servers of the automated survey system 36 may for example bephysically separate servers or servers in a VMware ESXi 4.0 virtualenvironment, among other implementations. In addition, the internalservicers 24, service managers 26, service providers 28, and/orservicers 30 may comprise laptop or desktop computer systems, which mayform part of the automated survey system 36 and may be used foraccessing the servers as needed.

The processing device 48 may be one or more general-purpose orspecific-purpose processors or microcontrollers for controlling theoperations and functions of the automated survey system 36. In someimplementations, the processing device 48 may include a plurality ofprocessors, computers, servers, or other processing elements forperforming different functions within the automated survey system 36.

The memory device 50 may include one or more internally fixed storageunits, removable storage units, and/or remotely accessible storageunits, each including a tangible storage medium. The various storageunits may include any combination of volatile memory and non-volatilememory. For example, volatile memory may comprise random access memory(RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), etc. Non-volatile memory may comprise readonly memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM),flash memory, etc. The storage units may be configured to store anycombination of information, data, instructions, software code, etc. Theorder management program 52, survey program 54, and database 56 may bestored in one or more memory devices 50 and run on the same or differentcomputer systems and/or servers.

The input/output devices 58 may include various input mechanisms andoutput mechanisms. For example, input mechanisms may include variousdata entry devices, such as keyboards, keypads, buttons, switches, touchpads, touch screens, cursor control devices, computer mice,stylus-receptive components, voice-activated mechanisms, microphones,cameras, infrared sensors, or other data entry devices. Outputmechanisms may include various data output devices, such as computermonitors, display screens, touch screens, audio output devices,speakers, alarms, notification devices, lights, light emitting diodes,liquid crystal displays, printers, or other data output devices. Theinput/output devices 58 may also include interaction devices configuredto receive input and provide output, such as dongles, touch screendevices, and other input/output devices, to enable input and/or outputcommunication.

The interface devices 60 may include various devices for interfacing theautomated survey system 36 with one or more types of communicationsystems, such as the communication networks 44. The interface devices 60may include devices for communicating the automated survey from theautomated survey system 36 to the customer systems 42. For example, whenthe survey is communicated via telephone, a telephone/voice interfacedevice of the interface devices 60 can be used for controlling an IVRdevice and accessing a telephone network. Also, interface devices 60 mayinclude various devices for interfacing with a data network, such as theInternet, to enable the communication of data. In some examples, theinterface devices 60 may include Dialogic cards, Dialogic Diva softIPsoftware, Envox, a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) device, or otherhardware or software interface elements.

The order management program 52 stored in the memory device 50 includesany suitable instructions for processing a customer order. For example,the order management program 52 may be Dispatch Office or other softwarefor managing orders. In some implementations, the order managementprogram 52 may include the capability of tracking deliveries. The ordermanagement program 52 may be omitted from the automated survey system 36in some embodiments or placed in a separate processing system accordingto other embodiments.

The survey program 54, which is described in more detail below, includesinstructions and templates for enabling a user to create an automatedsurvey. The survey program 54 is also configured to detect a triggerevent, such as the completion of a delivery service, and then launch theautomated survey in response to the trigger. The survey program 54 alsomay automatically analyze the feedback from the survey recipient andenable a survey monitor person to review voice messages left by thesurvey recipient and enter notes, a summary, and/or a transcript of thevoice message. When the analysis of the survey result information ismade, the survey program 54 can determine if follow-up actions arewarranted. For example, if a delivered product is damaged, the surveyprogram 54 can communicate with the appropriate person or team that canresolve the issue. The survey program 54 utilizes, as needed, thedatabase 56, which is configured to store order information, customerinformation, survey information, and other types of data andinformation. Other implementations may omit one or more of the functionsdisclosed herein.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the survey program 54according to various implementations of the present disclosure. Asillustrated in FIG. 6, according to some embodiments, the survey program54 includes a survey assembling module 62, a survey triggering module64, a survey conducting module 66, an automated survey result analyzingmodule 68, a survey result monitoring module 70, a survey follow-upmodule 72, and a survey result reporting module 74. In someimplementations, certain functions described herein may be executed bythe module explicitly described or may alternatively be executed by oneor more modules.

The survey assembling module 62 is configured to record a survey scriptread by a professional speaker. The survey assembling module 62 canrecord the read script in digitized form in a way file, vox file, and/orother audio file formats. A file naming convention can be used to helpidentify the properties of the survey scripts. For example, the filename may include an indication of the client, product, types ofservices, spoken language, store brand, and/or other information. Whenthe scripts are recorded, the survey assembling module 62 enables a userto select different scripts to combine into a complete survey. In thisrespect, each script may be a single question, single statement, orother portion of an entire survey. The user may then arrange theselected scripts in a particular order. Also, the user is enabled toenter acceptable answers for each of the survey questions.

The survey triggering module 64 detects when a trigger event occurs thatwarrants the conducting of a survey. For example, the trigger event maybe the completion of a delivery service or other service. In someembodiments, the survey triggering module 64 may detect when an ordercase is closed or when the status of a customer's order has been closedor finished (e.g., when an order has been fulfilled and properlydelivered). The survey triggering module 64 may detect the order statususing a polling process in which the database 56 is polled. The pollingprocess may be operated on a periodic schedule, e.g., about every 10minutes. When the order case is detected as being closed, the surveytriggering module 64 may create a new survey case to indicate that asurvey is to be launched. According to some embodiments, the surveytriggering module 64 may detect when a survey record has been createdautomatically or manually in the database 56.

In some embodiments, the survey triggering module 64 may be configuredto receive indications when trigger events occur that warrant theinitiation of surveys. For example, when a service is complete, theservicer may use a handheld device that prompts the servicer to provideinput when the service job is finished. The handheld device may transmita wireless signal to the automated survey system 36 via the interfacedevices 60 and this signal may be forwarded to the survey triggeringmodule 64. Some embodiments may also include a purchased product (e.g.,a mobile phone, smart phone, cable service, etc.) that may be configuredto automatically communicate notification of a trigger event (e.g.,installation, registration, initiation of phone service, etc.) to thesurvey triggering module 64. Other trigger events and other means ofcommunicating a notification of the trigger events to the surveytriggering module 64 may be used according to the particular design.

When the survey triggering module 64 determines that an authentictrigger event has occurred, the survey triggering module 64 may then seta flag stored in the memory device 50 or provide some other type ofindication that the service job is complete (or other trigger event hasoccurred) and that the status of a new survey case associated with thatservice job is now opened. In some implementations, the surveytriggering module 64 may enter the time that the trigger signal wasreceived in order to allow multiple service jobs to be recordedchronologically according to completion time.

The survey triggering module 64 may also be configured to perform apolling process in which the database 56 is polled to determine whichentries were recorded over a past predetermined time period. Forexample, if surveys are to be initiated every ten minutes, the pollingprocess can determine which service jobs were completed in the last tenminutes. The survey triggering module 64 places the polled service jobsin the survey scheduling queue 86 in the order in which the service jobswere completed. The order that the automated surveys are conducted isbased in part on the list in the survey scheduling queue 86.

The survey triggering module 64 may also be configured to wait apredetermined amount of time before triggering the launch of the survey.The reason for the delay is to allow the customer to have time toobserve the delivered product and try running it, for example, todetermine if there are any defects. Also, the delay permits time for theservicer to leave the vicinity of the customer's residence to allow thecustomer to provide unbiased responses to the survey questions. When thepredetermined lag time has elapsed, the survey triggering module 64instructs the survey conducting module 66 to launch the survey.

In response to a trigger to launch, the survey conducting module 66 isconfigured to retrieve the appropriate survey script for the particularclient, brand, product, service, customer, order, or other criteria.Also, the survey conducting module 66 retrieves the customer contactinformation, such as a home telephone number or mobile phone number. Thesurvey conducting module 66 may be configured to control the IVR deviceto dial the customer's number and begin playing the survey scripts whenthe customer answers the phone. In some embodiments, other methods ofcontacting the customer may be used.

The survey conducting module 66 is also configured to capture the touchtone entries from the customer's telephone in response to the surveyquestions. Customer input can also be captured by the survey conductingmodule 66 using other input techniques, such as by e-mail, web-basedinputs, spoken answers, etc. The survey conducting module 66 also givesthe customer an option to leave a voice message, if desired. When avoice message is left, the survey conducting module 66 may also recordthe message in digital form. In some embodiments, the survey conductingmodule 66 may also be configured to give the customer the option ofspeaking with a live operator. If the customer wishes to speak with anoperator, the survey conducting module 66 may redirect the call to anoperator associated with the service group. The survey conducting module66 may also be configured to give the customer the option to leave amessage using text, such as typing a message in an e-mail, typing amessage in a text message, typing a message on a smart phone, using achat session, or other means of leaving a non-voice message.

When the survey is finished, the survey result information and voicemessages can be analyzed to determine the customer's satisfaction withthe service received. Some analysis of this information may be doneautomatically, while other analysis may require human involvement.

The automated survey result analyzing module 68 is configured toautomatically analyze the feedback from the customer when the survey iscompleted. For example, the survey may include any number of questions,any of which may require numeric answers, such as answers on a numericscale from 1 to 5, where 1 represents “completely dissatisfied” and 5represents “completely satisfied.” Other scales can be used according tothe particular design. The automated survey result analyzing module 68,according to some implementation, may be configured to calculate a scoreof the survey recipient's numeric answers.

All the scores on the five-point scale can be averaged together todetermine an overall score for the survey. The automated survey resultanalyzing module 68 may be configured to use the overall score todetermine if it is below a threshold that indicates that the customerwas generally dissatisfied with the service. With a low average score,such as if the score is below 3.0 on a scale from 1 to 5, the automatedsurvey result analyzing module 68 may set a flag to indicate thatfollow-up is warranted. Thresholds other than 3.0 may also be usedaccording to the client's wishes or based on other factors. In someembodiments, the automated survey result analyzing module 68 may beconfigured to automatically send an e-mail or communicate in anothermanner to the field manager (or others) for follow up. The field managermay then respond by calling the customer to try to resolve any issues.

According to some embodiments, the automated survey result analyzingmodule 68 may detect if one or more answers indicate the lowest level ofsatisfaction on the part of the customer. In this case, the automatedsurvey result analyzing module 68 may set the flag indicating the needfor follow-up. Also, an automatic e-mail may be sent to the fieldmanager (or others). The automated survey result analyzing module 68 maybe configured to analyze the feedback from the survey in any suitablemanner to determine if follow-up actions are warranted.

The survey result monitoring module 70 may be a web-based tool that canbe accessed by a human operator (e.g., a survey monitor, servicemanager, field manager, or other authorized personnel of the servicegroup). The survey result monitoring module 70 may provide a userinterface enabling the user to access the survey result information,analyzed results from the automated survey result analyzing module 68,digitized voice messages, and/or other information. According to variousimplementations of the present disclosure, the survey result monitoringmodule 70 may enable the user to access and listen to the voicemessages, enter a transcript of the voice message, enter a summary ofthe voice message, append notes to the survey result information, selectone or more predefined classifications of customer issues, and/or selector recommend one or more follow-up actions. When follow-up actions areselected or recommended, the survey result monitoring module 70 can opena follow-up case for the purpose of monitoring the status of follow-upactions taken until the customer issues are resolved. As used herein,opening cases is understood to include the creation of one or moredatabase records. In some embodiments, survey cases and follow-up casesfor the same service may be monitored simultaneously. The survey resultmonitoring module 70 may provide a link or hyperlink to the surveyinformation and/or voice messages. The input received from the user viathe user interface can be stored along with the other information of thesurvey record and/or follow-up record.

The survey follow-up module 72 may be configured to track the follow-upactions that are taken to resolve customer issues. The survey follow-upmodule 72 may record and organize information related to the status ofthe follow-up case, such as, for example, the age of the follow-up casefrom the start of an opened follow-up case to the present. The surveyfollow-up module 72 enables access to this information and allows theuser to use a searching tool associated with the survey follow-up module72 to search for specific groups of follow-up cases, based on anyfactors, such as client, age, region, etc.

When analysis of the survey result information has been done, afollow-up case can be opened if necessary. If the survey is flagged asneeding follow-up, the survey follow-up module 72 is configured toinitiate follow-up actions. For example, if the survey feedback containscertain scores or marks that fit the specified criteria for needingfollow-up, the survey follow-up module 72 may automatically send ane-mail to the field manager responsible for that servicer or serviceteam. In this way, the field manager is informed that follow-up isneeded and is incentivized to act quickly to resolve the issues. Alongwith the e-mail, the survey follow-up module 72 can also transmit thesurvey result information and recorded voice messages and/or links tothe information and voice messages. In some cases, the issues mayrequire the involvement of the client. Depending on how the clientdecides to establish follow-up routines, the survey follow-up module 72may communicate information to the client directly or to both the clientand the field manager.

The survey follow-up module 72 may be configured to determine the age ofa follow-up case and track the progress being made to resolve theissues. The survey follow-up module 72 may be monitored by the surveymonitor person to determine if certain issues need to be revisited. Thesurvey follow-up module 72 may enable the transmission orre-transmission of an e-mail as a reminder as necessary to notify thefield manager or other responsible party for resolving an older issue.The reminder can be send automatically by the survey follow-up module 72based on predetermined conditions. In some embodiments, the surveyfollow-up module 72 may be further configured to calculate incentivepayments based in part on survey scores, survey result information,compliments, or other information that is received with respect to theperformance by a servicer or service team. Also, the survey follow-upmodule 72 may calculate bonuses for managers based on survey resultnumbers. In this respect, the servicers and managers can receive bonuscompensation for high quality customer service.

The survey result reporting module 74 may be configured to send reportsto one or more clients to inform them of the survey result information,types of issues encountered, overall scores, or other information ordata. The reports may be sent automatically to the clients based in parton the client's preferences. Some reports may be communicated daily,monthly, quarterly, or for any time period. The survey result reportingmodule 74 may be configured to communicate with different groups ofpeople who may be responsible for different aspects of a particularservice. For example, when the results of surveys indicate defectiveproducts from a client, the survey result reporting module 74 may beconfigured to send a notice to an individual or department about thedetective products.

The survey program 54 of the present disclosure may be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combinations thereof. In thedisclosed embodiments, the survey program 54 may be implemented insoftware or firmware that is stored on a memory device and that isexecutable by a suitable instruction execution system. The surveyprogram 54 may be implemented as one or more computer programs stored ondifferent memory devices or different computer systems of a network. Ifimplemented in hardware, the survey program 54 may be implemented usingdiscrete logic circuitry, an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array(FPGA), or any combinations thereof.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the database 56 shown inFIG. 5. The database 56 may contain various information and data. Asillustrated, the database 56 may include order information 78, customerinformation 80, service information 82, survey scripts 84, a surveyscheduling queue 86, survey result information 88, voice messages 90,and survey follow-up action information 91, and may further includeother types of data. The service information 82 may be related to anytype of service, such as a delivery service, installation service,repair service, or other services. In some embodiments, the voicemessages 90 may instead be stored in a separate file system associatedwith the memory device 50.

The order information 78 may include the store name, product purchases,type of services to be provided, date and time of order, etc. Thecustomer information 80 may include the customer's name, mailingaddress, billing address, delivery address, telephone and mobile phonenumbers, e-mail addresses, preferred means of contact, etc. The serviceinformation 82 (e.g., when related to a delivery service) may includethe product ordered, shipping identification information of the product,the delivery driver, the carrier, the servicer, the promised deliverytime, the actual arrival time, status of delivery, etc.

The survey scripts 84 may include digitized voice scripts of portions ofone or more surveys, complete surveys, or other survey information. Thesurvey scheduling queue 86 is a queue for recording the time when surveycases are open, a sequence of surveys to be conducted, etc. The surveyresult information 88 may include the results, feedback, responses,etc., provided by the customer during the survey. The survey resultinformation 88 may also include result of the analysis by the automatedsurvey result analyzing module 68, such as overall scores. The voicemessages 90 may include digitized voice messages recorded during thesurvey. The voice messages 90 may be stored as files (e.g., on aseparate file server) that may be accessed by hyperlinks via thenetwork. The survey follow-up action information 91 may include a recordof a classification of customer issues that warrant follow-up actions inaddition to a record of follow-up actions to be taken to resolve thecustomer issues.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an overview of the automatedsurvey process according to various implementations. Customer Order 92represents the process when the customer orders a product or servicefrom the client. In some implementations, the client collects contactinformation associated with the customer during the ordering process.This contact information can be used for contacting the customer inorder to run the survey.

Service Interaction 94 is the process when a service of any kind isperformed for the customer. For example, the service may be a deliveryof goods or packages, building and/or installing a product, maintenance,repair, improvement, communication with a service manager or customerservice representative, a product registration process, or otherservices. When the service is complete, it may be advantageous for theclient or service group to conduct a survey to collect information aboutthe customer's satisfaction with the service. The collected informationcan be used to help the service group improve the quality of theirservices.

When the status of the service case has changed due to the completion ofthe service job, a survey may be triggered. This is indicated by block96. One way in which the survey is triggered may include a servicercalling into an IVR device indicating that the job is complete orclosed. Another way of triggering a survey may include the servicerusing a handheld device to close the job and the handheld device beingconfigured to send a trigger signal to the automated survey system 36.Another way may include the servicer calling a support center to closethe job using a landline telephone or mobile phone. When the job isrecorded as being closed, the closed status may be detected in thedatabase by a program that creates a survey call record that initiatesthe deployment of the survey.

After receiving notification of the Trigger Event 96, an AutomatedSurvey may be conducted. The survey may be conducted automatically via aphone call to the customer using an IVR device, e-mail, chat, or othermeans of communication. The automated survey may include pre-recordedquestions and may respond to the answers captured by a numeric keypad,an alphanumeric keyboard, touch screen device, or other data entrydevice on the customer's telephone, mobile phone, computer, or otherdevice. Responses may be received via telephone, in a return e-mail orchat session, or by other digital entry device. Responses to surveyquestions may also be in the form of voice messages received viatelephone, VoIP, or other voice recording device or system. In someembodiments, the customer may be given the option to wait for livecustomer care if desired. Also, an option may be given to allow thecustomer to enter a message other than a voice message, such as, forexample, a text message, e-mail message, or other textual based message.According to some implementations, the survey may be started withinabout ten minutes of the trigger event and completed within about twominutes.

When the survey results are received, the automated survey system isconfigured to analyze the results. This analysis can be doneautomatically by the processing system and/or manually by a surveymonitor person. The automated analysis may include analysis of thecustomer data, product data, survey responses, and/or other information.The survey responses may be collected using finite answers, such as ananswer 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 for a ranking in response to a specific surveyquestion. In addition, the survey response may include a voice message,which can be manually analyzed and entered according to certain definedclassifications.

In many cases, the results of a survey do not require follow-up with thecustomer and these survey cases can be closed. However, in some cases,the customer may enter certain responses or leave a voice message thatprompts the automated survey system to begin a follow-up process toresolve any issues that the customer may have. When the answers areanalyzed, either automatically or manually, the issues may beidentified. When these exceptions are identified, a follow-up process isopened to ensure that the issues are treated sensitively. The follow-upmay include inquiries to gather additional information from thecustomer, if needed. Countermeasures may be followed as needed toresolve the issues.

Follow-up actions may be acted upon internally within the service groupor if necessary reported to client management and/or client teams.Information from the analysis and the follow-up may be collected andreported to internal teams for future use, such as performancemanagement, improving processes, services and products, tracking costsand issues, billing, etc. Reports include hyperlinks to voicemails foreasy access and review.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for executing aservice case, survey case, and follow-up case. When a customer entersinto a business deal with a business in which service is to be providedto the customer in some way, a service case is opened. In someimplementations, the client (or business) sends order information to aservicer who acts on the client's behalf. The order information may berelated to the specific service order and the customer's personalinformation. At a scheduled service time, the servicer performs theservice for the customer. When the service is complete, the service caseis closed.

The closing of the service case, as illustrated in FIG. 9, causes theopening of a survey case. In this respect, the completion of the servicejob triggers the initiation of the survey case. After a lag time, thesurvey case includes the conducting of an automated survey. Whenresponses are received from the survey recipient, the survey case isclosed.

When the survey case is closed, a follow-up case is opened to determineif follow-up to the survey is needed. Any issues fed back by thecustomer are analyzed to determine if follow-up actions are needed. Ifso, the appropriate people are contacted in order to resolve the issues.When the issues are resolved, the follow-up case is closed.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method forcreating a survey. In this embodiment, the method includes digitallyrecording voice scripts as indicated in block 106. For example, eachvoice script may be one or more survey question and/or one or morestatements or sentences. As indicated in block 108, file names for thevoice scripts are established. This process may include automaticallynaming the files based on the spoken language, store, store brand,product information, or other information. Block 110 includes enabling auser to select one or more voice scripts from the recorded scripts thatmay be used to form a completed survey. The user may be enabled to addand/or delete scripts. In some embodiments, certain scripts may beautomatically selected depending on client preferences, based on a billcode associated with a client brand (if the client has multiple brands),based on order criteria, or based on other factors. Regarding theselection based on order criteria, a service order in one particularexample may include a delivery and assembly, and hence automaticselection of both delivery-related questions and assembly-relatedquestions can be made. The method further includes enabling a user toarrange the scripts in a particular order, as desired, to form a certainlogical sequence of scripts for the survey, as suggested in block 112.As indicated in block 114, the user is enabled to enter the answers fromthe survey recipient that are acceptable for the particular surveyquestions.

FIG. 11 is a screen shot of a user interface 118 for creating anautomated survey according to various implementations of the presentdisclosure. The user interface 118 includes, among other things, asequence column 120 that displays a sequence of survey scripts that formthe entire survey and enables the user to change the sequence as needed.A question ID column 122 identifies the respective survey scripts (i.e.,questions and/or statements). A question description column 124 includesa description of the respective survey script. An answer options column126 enables the user to enter the acceptable feedback responses, basedin part on the questions being asked. Column 128 enables the user toselect which answers to the respective questions are to be shown on aweb-enabled user interface that reports the survey result information tothe appropriate individuals responsible for handling customer issues.

The user interface 118 also includes an add button 132, enabling theuser to add a selected question or statement to the survey. A deletebutton 134 enables the user to delete one or more questions, and a savebutton 136 enables to the user to save the survey when it is complete.The user interface 118 may also include a “sample playback” buttonallowing the user to listen to how the created survey might sound.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a completed survey 140according to various implementations. The survey 140 in this exampleincludes an introduction, survey instructions, list of questions, and astatement giving the survey recipient an opportunity to leave a voicemessage. It should be understood that other wording of sentences, thewording of questions, the sequence and types of questions asked, andother aspects of the survey can be modified to meet the particularclient's needs. In some implementations, the survey 140 can be formedusing preset elements. The survey 140 can be read and recorded, and thenaccessed for playback during the survey. Elements to allow time foranswers to be entered by the survey recipient can be added as needed.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method fortriggering and conducting a survey according to various implementations.As illustrated in FIG. 13, the method includes receiving notification ofthe occurrence of a trigger event associated with a service record inaccordance with block 144. Particularly, the trigger event may be thecompletion of the designated service. As indicated in block 146, themethod includes changing the status of the service record to closed. Thesurvey record is then created, as indicated in block 148, and is placedin a survey scheduling queue, as indicated in block 150.

According to decision block 152, it is determined whether or not aperiodic time for performing a polling function has arrived. Forexample, the polling function may be configured to operate every 10 or15 minutes. If the proper time has not yet arrived, the flow path loopsback to itself and block 152 is repeated until the time arrives. When itis time for polling, the database is polled to detect new surveyrecords, as indicated in block 154. Block 156 indicates that the methodincludes conducting an automated survey. The order that the automatedsurveys are launched may be based in part on the sequence of surveyrecords in the survey scheduling queue. The process of conducting theautomated survey is described in more detail below. As indicated inblock 158, survey result information is received. The survey resultinformation may be choices entered by the survey recipient, voicemessages, or other useful data.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method forconducting an automated survey according to various implementations. Theautomated survey conducting method includes determining, according todecision block 162, whether or not a new survey record has been found.If not, the flow path returns back to block 162 until one is found. Whenfound, an automated survey is prepared, as indicated in block 164. Thepreparing of the survey may include, for example, accessing scripts andquestions, accessing contact information, or other functions for formingan appropriate survey. The information gathered together to prepare thesurvey may include field manager case information, client orderinformation, client product information, a library of survey scripts andquestions, and other suitable information.

According to decision block 166, it is determined whether or not thesurvey recipient is on a do-not-call list. If so, the method skips aheadto block 168, which indicates that the survey case is closed with astatus of “no contact made—DNC.” If the survey recipient is not on thedo-not-call list, the method flows to block 170, which indicates that anattempt is made to contact the survey recipient. According to decisionblock 172, it is determined whether or not contact is made with thesurvey recipient. If not, then the flow proceeds to decision block 184.If contact is made, the flow proceeds to block 174, which indicates thatthe automated survey is launched and responses by the survey recipientare captured.

During the automated survey, the survey recipient is given the option tospeak with a live operator. If it is determined in decision block 176that the survey recipient requests to speak to someone live, then theflow branches to block 178. As indicated in block 178, the surveyrecipient is connected with an operator, such as a customer serviceagent, for the completion of the survey. When the live survey iscompleted, the survey analysis status is set to “ready” as indicated inblock 180. If in block 176 it is determined that the survey recipientdoes not wish to talk with a live operator, the flow proceeds todecision block 182. According to block 182, it is determined whether ornot the survey was completed successfully. If so, the flow proceeds toblock 180 to set the survey analysis status to “ready.” If the surveydid not complete successfully, as determined in block 182, flow proceedsto decision block 184.

Block 184 is reached when the survey recipient could not be contacted(decision block 172) or when the survey was not completed successfully(decision block 182). At this point, it is determined whether or not thenumber of contact attempts is equal to a predetermined threshold. If thenumber of contact attempts is determined to be equal to the threshold,flow proceeds from block 184 to block 186 and the survey is closed withthe status of “no contact made.” If not, then the method goes to block188, in which the survey is reschedule for another attempt, and the flowthen proceeds back to block 170.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for handling surveyresult information according to various implementations of the presentdisclosure. The method includes receiving survey result information froman automated survey, as indicated in block 192. According to block 194,the method includes analyzing the survey result information (e.g.,averaging the survey result information) to obtain a survey score. It isdetermined, according to decision block 196, whether the analysisreveals that follow-up actions are warranted or not, such as byautomatically comparing an average score to a defined threshold. If so,a flag is set to open a follow-up case as indicated in block 198.However, if no follow-up is warranted based on the analysis, flowproceeds from block 196 to decision block 200. In block 200, it isdetermined whether or not a voice message was received. If so, the voicemessage is made available for access by a survey monitor personaccording to block 202. Also, input may be received from the surveymonitor person, as indicated in block 204. The input received from thesurvey monitor person may include a summary of the voice message,selection of one or more customer issues from a list, selection of oneor more follow-up actions from a list, a flag set to open a follow-upcase, and/or other inputs. The flag to open the follow-up case may beset in response to the content and interpretation of the voice message.Block 206 indicates that the survey results are made available forreporting to various individuals, teams, departments, or others and fortracking the progress of the follow-up actions.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method forperforming survey follow-up actions according to various implementationsof the present disclosure. As indicated in decision block 210, it isdetermined whether or not a follow-up flag has been set. If not, whichindicates that no follow-up is needed, then the flow of the method skipsto block 212 and the follow-up case is closed. If a flag is set, theflow proceeds to block 214, which indicates that the survey resultinformation and survey scores are received. As indicated in decisionblock 216, it is determined whether the survey result information meetscertain criteria for sending an auto-notification to the client. Theclient may request to receive automatic notification based on anysuitable conditions or criteria associated with the survey resultinformation. For example, if the client requests to receive notificationof compliments and if one or more compliments are recorded in the surveyresults, then the criteria in this case are met. If it is determined inblock 216 that the criteria are met, an auto-notification of the surveydetails is sent to the client, as described in block 218. In someembodiments, block 218 may be omitted if the client chooses not toreceive auto-notifications.

After compliments are handled, the flow proceeds to decision block 220,which indicates that a determination is made whether the survey scorewarrants one or more follow-up actions. If not, then the flow skips toblock 212 and the follow-up case is closed. However, if follow-up iswarranted, the method flows on to decision block 222, which determineswhether involvement by a field manager is needed. If so, the surveyresult information (which may include any of the survey answers, surveyscores, and voice messages) is made available to the field manager,according to block 224. When the survey result information is received,the field manager may be enabled to add or edit follow-up information,as indicated in block 225. For example, the field manager may log anyfollow-up actions taken to resolve the issues. The field manager mayalso set classifications of issues and set follow-up actions that werenot previously recorded. The field manager may also be enabled to markwhen the follow-up case is closed, e.g., when all the issues have beenresolved. The method also includes checking if client involvement isneeded, as indicated in decision block 226. If so, the flow is directedto block 228 and the survey result information is made available to theclient. As indicated in block 229, the client is enabled to add and/oredit follow-up information. In some embodiments, the client's name maybe logged in during the modification process. The types of follow-upinformation that can be modified in this method may be different for thefield manager, client, and others who may be given access to theinformation and authority to change the information, depending on theparticular design.

The information made available to the client may be different than thatmade available to the field manager, depending on the particular design.The field managers and clients, when given the information, may beresponsible for contacting the customer, service group members, orothers by any available communication devices in order to help resolvethe issues. Decision block 230 indicates that it is determined whetheror not any issues remain. This determination may be made by the fieldmanager, who may set a flag, mark an item on a checklist, enter asummary, or other operation that may be detectable by the survey program54. These indications can be analyzed to determine that the issues areresolved. If no issues remain, the flow goes to block 212 and thefollow-up case is closed. If issues still remain, the flow loops back toblock 220 to repeat follow-up actions until the issues can be resolved.

The flow diagrams of FIGS. 9, 10, and 13-16 show the architecture,functionality, and operation of possible implementations of the surveyprogram 54. In this regard, each block may represent a module, segment,portion of code, etc., which comprises one or more executableinstructions for performing the specified logical functions. It shouldbe noted that the functions described with respect to the blocks mayoccur in a different order than shown. For example, two or more blocksmay be executed substantially concurrently, in a reverse order, or inany other sequence depending on the particular functionality involved.

The survey program 54, which comprises an ordered listing of executableinstructions for implementing logical functions, may be embodied in anycomputer-readable medium for use by any combination of instructionexecution systems or devices, such as computer-based systems,processor-controlled systems, etc. The computer-readable medium mayinclude one or more suitable physical media components configured tostore the software, programs, or computer code for a measurable lengthof time. The computer-readable medium may be any medium configured tocontain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport programs forexecution by the instruction execution systems or devices.

FIG. 17 is a screen shot of a user interface 231 for enabling access tovoice messages according to various embodiments. User interface 231lists the survey responses that include a voice message that needs to beverified. More specifically, verifying a voice message may include theactions toward the voice message of screening, filtering, sorting,searching, or other actions. Section 233 of the user interface 231includes information about the profit center (business), jobidentification numbers, customer, and the time and date when eachrespective survey was completed. Column 234 shows if the respectivesurvey feedback included a low overall score, representing poor qualityservice, such as one below a minimum threshold. Column 235 includes alink to the different voice messages. If the user wishes to hear themessage, the user may click on the “Listen” link to retrieve the voicemessage file. If the voice message warrants follow-up actions, the usercan select either yes or no in the response required column 236. Incolumn 237, the details of the surveys can be retrieved by the user byclicking on the respective “Details” link.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are parts of a screen shot of a user interface 238 forenabling a user to enter follow-up actions to be taken, according tovarious implementations of the present disclosure. The user interface238 may be opened, for example, by clicking on the detail link in column237 shown in FIG. 17. Also, the user interface 238 may be opened whenthe user clicks on the “listen” link in column 235. In section 240 ofuser interface 238, information about the order, profit center,servicer, customer, etc. is displayed. Within section 240 is a link 241that enables a user to access a voice message, if one is left. Insection 242, information about the survey questions is displayed.

Section 244 of the user interface 238 enables the user to check certainlisted items to define the customer's issues and categorize them intoclassification categories. The list of issues included in section 244may be customized for the client based on the client's needs, based onthe particular service provided, based on the particular product beingdelivered, or based on any other factors. Some non-limiting examples ofcustomer issue items listed in section 244 may include a schedulingissue, an incorrect phone number, an issue with the contract carrier, adelivery fee issue, a schedule notification issue, poor service at thestore, a damaged product, the product missing items, the wrong productdelivered, the wrong address, a store or client issue, a voice messagecompliment, or any other service issues. In some embodiments, theselection of at least of the classification items can be required beforea case is closed. By listening to the voice message, the user may beable to determine the classification of issues described audibly.

Section 246 includes a list of possible ways to resolve the issuesmarked in section 244. This list may also be customized for theparticular client depending on various factors. Some non-limitingexamples of resolution items listed in section 246 may include theissuing of a gift card to the customer, passing the information on thestore or client, leaving a voice message for the client, recording avoicemail summary, or other ways of reaching resolution. Other items mayalso include the closure of the follow-up case based on a failure tocontact the customer or a representative speaking with the customer toresolve some issue, addressing the issue with the delivery team, or thecustomer misunderstanding the survey. The user interface 238 enables theuser to check the appropriate boxes of section 246 as needed. The userinterface 238 may display certain additional information fieldsdepending on the selections made in section 246. For example, if theuser selects “Passed to Store/Client”, the user interface 238 may promptthe user to enter the name of the person to which the survey resultinformation is passed. According to another example, if the user selects“Issue Gift Card”, the user interface 238 may prompt the user to enterthe monetary amount of the gift card to be issued.

If a voice message is left, the user may listen to the message byclicking on the link 241 and then may enter a summary of the voicemessage in window 248. The window 248 can also be used to record stepsthat were taken by different people of the service group to resolveissues or any other notes that may be necessary for understanding theissues of the case. The summaries entered in window 248 are displayed insection 250 when inserted by the user. The Actions selected in section246 are also automatically displayed adjacent section 250. If thefollow-up case is to be closed, the user may check the box 252.

FIG. 19 is a screen shot of an embodiment of a user interface 256 forenabling access to survey result information. The user interface 256 maybe created automatically when the survey recipient leaves a voicemessage. In this embodiment, the user interface 256 displays a table 258having details of the order, store, carrier, driver, customer, customercontact information, promised delivery time window, actual arrival time,etc. The user interface 256 also includes a table 260 displaying thesurvey questions, response options, and the answers provided. Table 260also displays a calculation of the average score. Window 262 shows asummary of the voice message left by the survey recipient and textualentries made by the service team monitoring the status of the survey andfollow-up.

The user interface 256 also includes a link 257 allowing the user torespond to the survey recipient. Also, the user interface 256 includes alink 264, which allows the user to listen to a recording of the voicemessage left by the survey recipient. For example, the voice message mayinclude any file format, such as a .wav file, a vox file, etc.

FIG. 20 is a screen shot of an embodiment of a user interface 266. Theuser interface 266 may be created automatically when the overall score267 displayed in a survey result section is below an acceptablethreshold. For example, if the survey questions are based on afive-point scale with “5” representing complete satisfaction and “1”representing complete dissatisfaction, then a threshold of about 3.0 (orany other suitable number) may be set. Therefore, an overall score below3.0 (in this case) may initiate the generation of the user interface266. The user interface 266 may also include a delivery notes section268 and an order history section 269. The delivery notes section 268 mayinclude notes that were recorded when the customer placed an order. Asan example, the delivery notes 268 may be useful for the completion ofcertain services. The order history section 269 may include a history ofthe order case, survey case, and/or follow-up case of a service order.Information in the order history section 269 may be entered manuallyand/or automatically.

FIG. 21 is a screen shot of an embodiment of a user interface 270 forenabling a search of survey responses. The user interface 270 may bemade available to each of the service managers and other personnelresponsible for monitoring the orders, surveys, and follow-up cases fora service company. The user interface 270 allows the user to search forfollow-up cases and view the details of the follow-up cases. If box 272is checked, only the follow-up cases that are still open (or pending)are searched. In field 274, the user can select one or more profitcenters (or business segments) depending on the need. Also, the user canselect the option to search all the profit centers of the servicecompany. Fields 276 and 278 allow the user to enter the timeframe inwhich the search is made. When the search button 280 is selected, theuser interface 270 is configured to search the database for follow-upcases that match the search criteria and display the results in table282.

The table 282 includes rows of different entries arranged with columnsfor the profit center, the customer receiving the service (“ship to”),the job number, the time and date the follow-up case was opened(“reported at”), the deadline, the age of the follow-up case, whether alow score was received in the survey, whether a voice message link isavailable, the number of responses, whether the follow-up case has beenclosed, and a details link linking to the details of the survey. Thetable 282 may list the follow-up cases in a sequence from the oldestcase to the newest, ordered according to the age column. The age columnmay work with a suitable clock or timing device to update the age ofopened cases every six minutes (0.1 hours). The age may be used by theservice team to give priority to older issues.

FIGS. 22A and 22B are screen shots of a service issue report 286according to various implementations of the present disclosure. Theservice issue report 286 may be communicated to the client or store toreport issues regarding the order or service that need attention by thestore. The clients may be given the option to receive such a report atdifferent stages of the follow-up or when certain situations occur. Inthis embodiment, the service issue report 286 includes an informationtable 288, a survey result table 290, a voice message link 292, and avoice message response table 294 shown in FIG. 22B. The informationtable 288 includes information about the order, service, customer, etc.,and the survey result table 290 includes respective responses to thesurvey questions. The user can click on the voice message link 292 toaccept the voice message file and listen to the recording. In someimplementations, the voice message response table 294 shows the voicemessage summary and a summary of follow-up calls (e.g., by JBROWN inthis example) to the customer to resolve the issues.

FIG. 23 is a diagram of an embodiment of a quality report 300. In thisexample, the quality report 300 may be communicated to the client (i.e.,“Acme”). The quality report 300 includes the client's survey scoresbroken up among the different regions (e.g., starting in this examplewith the New York region). Also, the quality report 300 divides eachregion down to the individual servicers. With this report, the clientcan obtain useful information about the overall success of the deliveryteams, the success of teams within each region, and success ofindividual servicers.

FIG. 24 is a diagram of a survey feedback report 304 according tovarious implementations of the present disclosure. The survey feedbackreport 304 may include a table 306 showing the daily survey results, atable 308 showing the month-to-date survey results, and a table 310showing a response classification matrix. The survey result reportingmodule 74 (FIG. 6) may be configured to send the survey feedback report304 to the service managers and other teams of the service group. Thereport may be transmitted with an e-mail or may be accessed using ahyperlink. The survey feedback report 304 may be sent on a periodicbasis to keep the managers and teams up to date. For example, it may besent on a daily basis, issued on the morning following the day ofservice being reported. The next-day information can be useful fortraining or coaching purposes, such as for use by a manager to coachservice teams to practice proper technique and behavior that may betterplease the customers. In this way, service teams can be given immediatefeedback based on the previous day's survey responses.

The daily survey result table 306 may include numbers broken out byregion. The columns of the daily survey result table 306 include thenumber of service orders (e.g., deliveries), the number of surveyscompleted, the percentages of customers completing the survey, and anaverage score goal. The daily survey result table 306 also may includethe particular questions of the survey, such as whether the customerwould desire to have the delivery team back, the appearance of thedelivery team, on-time success, call ahead success, whether the deliveryteam properly tested and demonstrated the product, the professionalcourtesy of the team, and the overall average score.

The month-to-date results table 308 may include the same columndivisions as the daily report but for the longer time period from thefirst of the month to the present. The response classification matrixtable 310 includes columns for each of a number of specific customerissues. For example, the table 310 may include scheduling issues,incorrect phone number issues, contract carrier issues, notification ofdeliver time issues, damaged product issues, address issues,store/client issues, etc.

According to various implementations, the survey result reporting module74 (FIG. 6) may generate one or more reports describing the issuance ofgift cards. For example, the follow-up action of issuing a gift card maybe initiated by a user selecting the item labeled “Issued Gift Card” inthe follow-up actions section 246 of the user interface 238 (FIG. 18).Gift cards may be issued when service mistakes, mishaps, or otherproblems occur. The gift cards may be used to reimburse, compensate, orin some way appease the customer for the service problems. Since theservice group is representing the client, the issued gift cards may bevalid only at the client's stores, for example, or in other embodimentsmay be valid at any stores.

The service managers may analyze the events surrounding the serviceproblems and determine if a particular servicer is at fault orresponsible. If it is determined that a particular servicer isresponsible for the service problem, such as for arriving outside thepromised time window, failing to complete the service, and/or otherproblems, then the automated survey system 36 may be configured toautomatically subtract the gift card amount from the servicer's pay. Inthis respect, the amount that the managed services 22 pays for gift cardissuance is charged back to the servicer. However, if the problem is notcaused by the servicer but is caused by other operators or systems, thenthe servicer is not held responsible.

FIG. 25 is a diagram of an embodiment of a survey response report 314.The survey response report 314 includes tables for follow-up cases thatremain opened and those that are closed. The survey response report 314also includes for each case the customer, classifications of issues,overall score on the survey, age of the case, summary notes, and accessto more details of the case.

FIG. 26 is a diagram of an embodiment of a summary quality report 318according to various implementations. The summary quality report 318includes a first column 320, which includes each of the stores of aclient, divided regionally. A second column 322 includes the overallaverage survey scores for the respective stores, and a third set ofcolumns 324 includes the average scores and number of surveys completedfor each of the questions asked on the surveys. In some embodiments, thesurvey result reporting module 74 may be configured to distinguishbetween the average scores that meet a particular goal and those that donot meet the goal. For example, a first score 326 may be displayed inone manner (e.g., black) while another score 328 may be displayed in adifferent manner (e.g., red).

Many advantages might be gained by a service business or other entity bythe use of the survey network system 34 and particularly the automatedsurvey system 36 and survey program 54. For example, one benefit mightbe the ability to provide rapid follow-up actions to customers that haveissues. In some cases, it may be possible to resolve the customer'sissue within two hours, which is a desirable service goal for a servicecompany. By responding to issues quickly, the overall customersatisfaction level of a service group can be high.

Another advantage might be the aspect of performing the survey using anautomated system as opposed to a survey conducted by a live operator. Anautomated system may allow the survey recipient to answer moretruthfully and may also lead to a high survey participation rate. Forexample, many surveys have a participation rate of under 10%. However,with the automated survey system 36 described herein, a participationrate of about 40% or higher can been achieved. In this respect, theservice company can obtain a larger sample of data that may betterdefine the satisfaction level of the customers. Also, by conducting thesurvey at an advantageous time, which is controlled by the automatedsurvey system 36, customers are more likely to take the survey andlikely to answer more accurately, because the service experience mightstill be fresh in their minds.

One should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,”“could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, orotherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intendedto convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments donot include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, suchconditional language is not generally intended to imply that features,elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particularembodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarilyinclude logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting,whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to beperformed in any particular embodiment.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merelypossible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clearunderstanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Any processdescriptions or blocks in flow diagrams should be understood asrepresenting modules, segments, or portions of code which include one ormore executable instructions for implementing specific logical functionsor steps in the process, and alternate implementations are included inwhich functions may not be included or executed at all, may be executedout of order from that shown or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the artof the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be madeto the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantiallyfrom the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. Further, thescope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any and allcombinations and sub-combinations of all elements, features, and aspectsdiscussed above. All such modifications and variations are intended tobe included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and allpossible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements orsteps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure.

We claim:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded withcomputer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructionscomprising the steps of: receiving automatically a notification of anoccurrence of a trigger event caused by a servicer in association withthe servicer performing a service for a customer at a customer location;in response to receiving the notification, initiating automatically anautomated survey to be offered to the customer who received the serviceperformed by the servicer at the customer location, the initiatingcomprising creating at least one survey record and placing the at leastone survey record in a survey scheduling queue in a database, theautomated survey comprising a plurality of questions about the servicethat was performed by the servicer for the customer at the customerlocation; polling automatically the database on a periodic basis todetect the at least one survey record in the survey scheduling queue; inresponse to detecting the at least one survey record in the surveyscheduling queue, contacting automatically the customer who received theservice performed by the servicer at the customer location to conductthe automated survey comprising the plurality of questions about theservice that was performed by the servicer for the customer at thecustomer location; and in response to conducting the automated survey,receiving automatically survey result information from the customer whoreceived the service performed by the servicer at the customer location.2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein: the customer andthe survey recipient are the same; and receiving the notification of theoccurrence of the trigger event further includes receiving thenotification from the servicer indicating that the service performed forthe customer has been completed.
 3. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein receiving the notification of the occurrence of thetrigger event further includes receiving the notification from alocation tracking device indicating that the servicer has left thevicinity of the customer location.
 4. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprisethe steps of: receiving contact information associated with the surveyrecipient; using the contact information when initiating the automatedsurvey; waiting a predetermined length of time before calling atelephone number associated with the survey recipient, wherein thepredetermined length of time is greater than five minutes and less thanone hour; and calling the telephone number
 5. The computer-readablemedium of claim 1, wherein conducting the automated survey furthercomprises playing recorded survey questions.
 6. The computer-readablemedium of claim 1, wherein receiving the survey result informationfurther comprises receiving numeric answers to the plurality ofquestions and receiving the numeric answers via a telephonecommunication channel.
 7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein receiving the survey result information further comprises:receiving a voice message from the survey recipient; and digitallyrecording the voice message.
 8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise the stepsof: enabling a person to digitally record a plurality of voice scripts;enabling a user to select one or more of the voice scripts to becombined into the automated survey; and enabling the user to arrange thevoice scripts in a specific order.
 9. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 8, wherein each voice script is a survey question or a statement.10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions further comprise the step of: enablingthe user to enter a number of acceptable answers for each voice scriptthat is a survey question.
 11. The computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise the stepof: waiting a predetermined length of time after receiving thenotification before conducting the automated survey.
 12. A computerimplemented method comprising: receiving, automatically by a computer, anotification of an occurrence of a trigger event caused by a servicer inassociation with the servicer performing a service for a customer at acustomer location; in response to receiving the notification, initiatingautomatically an automated survey to be offered to the customer whoreceived the service performed by the servicer at the customer location,the initiating comprising creating at least one survey record andplacing the at least one survey record in a survey scheduling queue in adatabase, the automated survey comprising a plurality of questions aboutthe service that was performed by the servicer for the customer at thecustomer location; polling automatically the database on a periodicbasis to detect the at least one survey record in the survey schedulingqueue; in response to detecting the at least one survey record in thesurvey scheduling queue, contacting automatically the customer whoreceived the service performed by the servicer at the customer locationto conduct the automated survey, automatically by the computer,comprising the plurality of questions about the service that wasperformed by the servicer for the customer at the customer location; andin response to conducting the automated survey, receiving automaticallysurvey result information from the customer who received the serviceperformed by the servicer at the customer location.
 13. The computerimplemented method of claim 12, wherein: the notification of theoccurrence of the trigger event is received from the servicer indicatingthat the service performed for the customer has been completed; and theservicer is an individual or team responsible for performing the servicefor the customer.
 14. The computer implemented method of claim 12,further comprising receiving contact information associated with thesurvey recipient, wherein initiating the automated survey furthercomprises: waiting a length of time greater than five minutes and lessthan one hour; and calling a telephone number associated with the surveyrecipient.
 15. The computer implemented method of claim 12, whereinreceiving survey result information further comprises: receiving a voicemessage from the survey recipient; and digitally recording the voicemessage.
 16. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein thetrigger event caused by the service comprises at least one of thefollowing: the servicer sending an electronic communication, theservicer initiating a telephone call, and the servicer leaving thevicinity of the customer location.
 17. The computer implemented methodof claim 12, further comprising: waiting a predetermined length of timeafter receiving the notification before conducting the automated survey.18. An automated survey system comprising: an interface deviceconfigured to receive a notification of an occurrence of a trigger eventcaused by a servicer in association with the servicer performing aservice for a customer at a customer location; and a processing deviceassociated with a computer system, the processing device configured toinitiate an automated survey comprising a plurality of questions aboutthe service that was performed by the servicer for the customer at thecustomer location, the automated survey being offered to the customer inresponse to receiving the notification, the initiating comprisingcreating at least one survey record and placing the at least one surveyrecord in a survey scheduling queue in a database associated with thecomputer system, wherein the processing device is further configured topoll the database on a periodic basis to detect the at least one surveyrecord in the survey scheduling queue, in response to detecting the atleast one survey record in the survey scheduling queue, to contact thecustomer who received the service performed by the servicer at thecustomer location to conduct the automated survey via the interfacedevice, the automated survey comprising a plurality of questions aboutthe service that was performed by the servicer for the customer at thecustomer location, and in response to conducting the automated survey,to receive survey result information from the customer who received theservice performed by the servicer at the customer location.
 19. Theautomated survey system of claim 18, further comprising a memory deviceconfigured to store a survey program configured to instruct theprocessing device regarding initiating and conducting the automatedsurvey.
 20. The automated survey system of claim 19, wherein the surveyprogram comprises at least a survey triggering module and a surveyconducting module.
 21. The automated survey system of claim 20, whereinthe survey program further comprises a survey assembling module, thesurvey assembling module configured to: enable a person to digitallyrecord a plurality of voice scripts; enable a user to select one or moreof the voice scripts to be combined into the automated survey; andenable the user to arrange the voice scripts in a specific order. 22.The automated survey system of claim 19, wherein the memory devicefurther comprises a database for storing one or more types ofinformation selected from the group consisting of order information,customer information, delivery information, survey scripts, the surveyscheduling queue, survey result information, and voice messageinformation.
 23. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein thetrigger event caused by the service comprises at least one of thefollowing: the servicer sending an electronic communication, theservicer initiating a telephone call, and the servicer leaving thevicinity of the customer location.
 24. The automated survey system ofclaim 18, wherein the trigger event caused by the service comprises atleast one of the following: the servicer sending an electroniccommunication, the servicer initiating a telephone call, and theservicer leaving the vicinity of the customer location.
 25. Theautomated survey system of claim 18, wherein the processing device isfurther configured to wait a predetermined length of time afterreceiving the notification before conducting the automated survey.